Abstract
The present study shows the perceptions of the inhabitants of eight communities located in La Encrucijada, Chiapas in relation to the quality, availability and accessibility of well water and bottled and piped water, as well as the evaluation of water quality in 29 wells, nine brands of jug water and two sources of tubed water. Information regarding the perception of the population regarding availability and quality of water for human consumption was obtained through a survey which consisted in 105 home interviews with closed-ended questions. As for water quality analysis, physicochemical parameters (pH, NO 2 , NO 3 , alkalinity) and bacteriological parameters (fecal coliforms) were analyzed. Based on the home interviews, it was found that in six communities, traditional wells are the source of safe water all year round, and their use is mostly domestic. In seven communities bottled water has become the main source for drinking. The six communities that have a well as the only source of water better identify the months in which water is scarce in their well and perceive the change in the taste of water compared to the two communities that have access to piped water. The perception of water quality of diverse sources determines its use. Of the 29 wells evaluated, 18 exceeded the maximum permissible limits for NO 3 (> 10 mg/L), one for NO 2 (> 0.05 mg/L), two for alkalinity (> 300 mg/L) and 27 for fecal coliforms.
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